House of the Rising Sun
by Lyrycal Rain
Summary: Now listen, children, if you want to hear the story of The Boy Who Lived. Ready? Right, then: Only five years ago, on Halloween 1981, the Dark Lord fell at the hands of young Alexander Nigel Potter.
1. Gone

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Title: House of the Rising Sun  
Genre: AU, fantasy, romance  
Rating: PG-15. Harsh language, innuendo  
Pairings: HPGW, HGRW, NTRL, JPLE, SBOC, DMOC  
Summary: "Now listen, children, if you want to hear the story of The Boy Who Lived. Ready? Right, then: Only five years ago, on Halloween 1981, the Dark Lord fell at the hands of young Alexander Nigel Potter."

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"Take the boys and go, Lily!" James shoved the jar of Floo powder into his panicked wife's hands.

"No, James! Come with us!" The black haired man paused for a second then shook his head.

"I'll buy you some time. Get them out of here; hide them, give them my love." He gave her a swift, bruising kiss. Lily, sobbing, nodded her head and turned to lift her boys out of their playpen. As she crossed the room, the whole house shook under the onslaught; the young woman tripped and fell. James ran to her, turning her still body onto her back. "Lily, wake up!" She didn't respond, and he noticed a smear of blood on her face from where she had cracked her head on the coffee table. He heard the front door fly open, Vodemort had breached their last defenses. Hugging his unconscious wife's head to his chest, he bowed his head and waited, for there was little else he could think to do.

"How touching." A cold, terrible voice drawled from the doorway. James lifted his face to see the tall form of hist most loathed enemy. After Peter, of course. "So tell me, Potter. Which do you think it is that is intended to be my downfall?" It felt as though ice was floating in his veins, making his heart stutter and skip, clenching around his lungs and throat. _Fear_. Utter, primal fear short-circuited his brain. Fear for his wife, his mate, his love, his cherished one, fear for his children, his boys, his twin terrors, his Prongs Juniors. Laying Lily's head carefuly on the thick carpet, he forced his legs to bear his weight and stood before the Dark Lord. "Stand aside and I shal spare your life." James clenched his jaw and stood his ground. Voldemort's eyes narrowed in annoyance, and he stunned his oponnent. He really couldn't be arsed to kill him right now; apparently the child might prove difficult to dispose of; it would be prudent to conserve his strength. He glided across the room to peer into the device entrapping the children. Two sets of eyes peered back at him.

If he hadn't known differently, he wouldn't think the boys to be related. The larger of the two, a chubby little boy, had red hair, brown eyes, and freckled skin. The more slender child posessed a crop of wild black hair, pale unmarked skin, and brilliant green eyes. The red-head was sucking in air, on the verge of a wail; the other simply stared. For a moment, Voldemort alowed himself to wonder which of these children might have otherwise grown to oppose him.

Best to dispose of them both, and the parents after.

"Avada Kedavra!" As the green light flashed from his wand, Voldemort gave a twisted smile. With a loud crack, the spell rebounded, and a terrible keen rent the air and what was left of his soul was forced from his body. The body of Tom Marvolo Riddle disinegrated, the release of much of his raw magic shaking the entire house as his consciousness was shot thousands of miles away. Debris falling from the ceiling created a deep gash on the redheaded boy's chest, and the child screamed even harder.

When Albus Dumbledore reached the scene, he found Sirius Black and Remus Lupin racing into the house just ahead of him. The usually carefree men's faces were panicked as they hurriedly picked through the remains of the house, calling for their friends. As Sirius uncovered James and Lily's still forms, Remus was pulling baby Alex out from under the thankfully light wreckage in his area of the room, wiping the dust from the child's face, noting the tear tracks where the dust had become glued to Alex's cheeks. The babe was breathing noisily. Remus deposited the sleeping child in the Headmaster's arms, and turned back. Sirius was looking at the cut on Lily's head and exclaimed when she started to come around. He _ennervated _James and turned back to trying to heal the rather nasty wound Lily's had somehow received. His friends were groggily opening their eyes when Remus's frantic voice cut through his relief.

"Sirius! I can't find Harry anywhere!"

They turned the remains inside out searching for the missing child, then again when the aurors finally showed their faces.

Harry Potter had disappeared without a trace.

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Okay, short chapter. Was really just a teaser.

Please review, and I'm looking for a beta!


	2. Where?

Note: I'd like to thank my reviewers, it's always nice to have feedback!

This is basically a summary chapter about what happens to everyone else, bringing us up to when Harry makes his first appearance in their lives. Also, this will not be one of those stories where James and Lily are blinded by their other son's fame and are all to happy to ignore Harry. While thos can occasionally be entertaining, I just don't think it works for their characters.

Chapter Two: "Where'd You Go?"

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**So often we look at a calendar of days as merely a symbol of the passage of time. We forget why we are on this earth. We forget that there is a reason for all of the pain and all of the struggle. We forget that we were put on earth to learn something. If everything were perfect in this life, we would never learn anything new. We would not be able to elevate our spirits through the events that happen to us.**

**Lynn V. Andrews (contemp.) author, teacher, counselor**

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**.November-December 1981.**

Lily cried for a solid week, James retreated behind a wall of silence that terrified his friends, and both could hardly stand to look at Alex. Perhaps the hardest part of that particular pain was that Alex looked so little like his brother, marking his absence even more. Alex's tiny face, rosier and rounder than Harry's had ever been; hazel eyes, beautiful, but just not Harry's vivid green; the rather sparse, but brilliantly hued hair, so different from his brother's thick jet black. The keenly felt wound of a missing child, the guilt over not having been able to help him, the guilt over not being able to pick themselves up, and the guilt that sometimes their baby's face made them sick combined to nearly destroy two once strong people. It was an emotional pain made nearly corporeal. The Potters were barely hanging on, ghosts of their former selves.

And so Remus and Sirius took up residence in the Potter's repaired living room. Sirius's once jovial demeanor was gone, and in truth they all leaned heavily on Remus's quiet strength. Years of secret pain had taught the young werewolf how to bear up under misfortune, and it was this that started the healing process. It was primarily Remus who fed and cleaned and held the baby when he cried. It was Remus who attempted to cook, something he was not exactly practised at, and force the bereaved couple to eat. It was Remus who turned Dumbledore's attempt at comfort away, accepting the Headmaster's assertation that there was no evidence that Harry was dead, and equal evidence that he was alive in the same quiet way he always had done, and sending the man away at the door.

"I'm sorry Headmaster, but it's hard enough to get them to eat and sleep right now. I just don't think that talking about it is a good idea right yet."

It was Dumbledore who mentioned the situation in the Potter household to a dear friend of his, who mentioned it to Arthur Weasley, who mentioned it to his wife, who took it upon herself to show up on the Potter's doorstep at least three times a week with a square meal and a compassionate heart. Molly's no-nonsense attitude, steadfast strength, and inherent ability to mother practically anyone was a salve to the wounded. And though Molly Weasley had seven happy, healthy children, and the Potter's had just lost one of theirs, a friendship was born that would last many years.

For the grieving, their whole world stops. And they're left to pick up the pieces while the rest of the world goes on around them, mostly sympathetic, but not really understanding of how **that **loss affected **that **person. So it was that the Potter's were left with the scattered remains of their life while the wizarding world celebrated, content to sacrifice one small child for the good of the rest. As long as it wasn't **their **child, of course. And as November cooled into December, and snow blanketed the land, the Lily's uncontrollable crying lessened, and James came out of his newfound shell a litte more, and it was progress. And though they didn't pose for a Christmas photo like they had last year, they did pull themselves together enough to brave the world to shop for presents. People surprised them, mobbing the couple and congratulating them on their son's victory, and all James wanted to do was tell them to stuff it. All Lily wanted to do was cry. Didn't they understand that Alex defeating Voldemort could not fix the fact that Harry was gone?

When they rang in the New Year, it was with bitterness and hope, and with the first of many loud, long rows between the couple, during which a lot of very nasty things were said and Sirius eventually had to intervene.

**.1982. **

By May, Lily and James could hardly speak without yelling at eachother, and their home life disintegrated into a dichotomy of either silence or cacophony, punctuated by short periods of civility. Lily fell into a bottle, and James spent a lot of time out of the house. Remus and Sirius, still camped in the living room, were at their wit's end trying to get their friends past this, and on to better uses of their time, such as Alexander, who, at nearly two years old was more and more aware of his environment. Finally, Molly, who'd had enough of attempting to "let them work it out on their own," stepped in. She and Dumbledore combined efforts to force the couple to have a real, sober, conversation. The arguments lessened, and by July they were leaning on eachother for support as the birthday drew near, a birthday that they wished they could mourn, but they had another child to think of, and he deserved a party after they had failed him so often these last several months. They refused to throw the huge bash the public wished for, instead opting for a gathering of their close friends, and all the Weasley children. Lily cooed and smiled at little Ginny, and remarked how perfect it would be if Alex grew up to marry Ginny. She imagined that they'd look somewhat more incestuous than she would like, though, given the similarity of their colouring.

When Sirius busted a photographer trying to crash the party, it put a bit of a damper on things, and Lily hatched the idea to relocate. Into the muggle world. This whim was met with a bit of outcry, but Lily wouldn't hear it, and they moved into a rather nice London suburb with no announcement to the public, only close friends, and Dumbledore knowing their actual address. The change of environment was helpful in learning to deal with the loss of Harry, for whom their grief, while not lessening, was becoming easier to bear. In August, they kicked Remus and Sirius out, telling them to get their lives back, they'd been holding up the Potter family for quite long enough. That same month, Lily crawled back into her husband's bed for the first time since they lost Harry. It surprised her, how she had forgotten how much she loved James's hands on her back, his lips on hers, her fingers in his hair. She had forgotten how in sync they truly were.

In September, she announced a second pregnancy, only telling James, Molly, Remus, and Sirius.

October brought a candlelight vigil held by the Potter's inner circle, and celebrations from the rest of the wizarding world. Lily was glad that wizarding children didn't usually trick-or-treat, and that Alex was too young, anyway. She didn't know if she would have been able to put on her happy face on Halloween, and was relieved that she didn't have to. November passed uneventfully, and December brought a mostly happy Christmas, with a party at the Weasley's completed with an absolutely sumptuous feast prepared by Molly. Sirius raved and told Molly several times that she should go into business, as her cooking was an experience many bachelors would fight eachother for. Molly flushed as red as her hair, but an idea was born. The New Year's bash at Sirius's flat was wild and fight-free.

**.1983.**

James had once informed his wife that pregnancy made her practically glow. She'd had a remarkably easy time carrying Alex and Harry, and James had rather fancied the whole "she's having my baby" look. And the hormones had made her quite randy, which was always a plus in his book. This pregnancy, however, had her sick as a dog and exhausted all the time. And very distinctly **not **randy. But Lily reveled in her changing body, and James just quietly held her hair back and conjured a glass of water.

And on the eleventh of May in a muggle hospital, they welcomed Meredith Oneida, who looked like her grandmother. Lily supposed there were worse things. Her mother-in-law, distantly related to the Malfoys, had been a bit cool and snooty, but she had been a stunning beauty in her youth, and it looked like Merry had inherited those particular genes. The baby girl's hair was so white it looked like she didn't have eyebrows or eyelashes, and the thick thatch on her head was ultra-fine and soft. Her eyes were piercingly black, and the Molly raved that she would be quite the heartbreaker someday. Lily couldn't help but agree, and James was instantly captivated. She supposed there was just something special about a tiny girl that brought out the protector in their fathers. Perhaps James was simply remembering his teenage ways, picturing his little girl as a teenager around boys like him, and panicking.

July brought two small(ish, as nothing involving the Weasley's can really be classified as "small") parties for Alex. One for the wizards, and one for the muggle friends they had made. He was three and talkative and precocious, and everybody adored him. Sirius scooped him up and ran him around on his shoulders, eliciting high-pitched screams of delight, and James lit and extra candle for Harry, and it was good. Harry was never gone from their minds, but it was easier and easier to handle every day.

October, though, brought a low point, when a well-meaning neighbour had asked if Alex could play trick-or-treat with her Preston. Lily had hesitated just long enough for the nice, but gossipy woman to smell blood and attack.

"I'm sorry, do you have a religious issue with it? I have noticed you never decorate for Halloween." Lily gave a tight smile.

"No, no. It's just. We lost Alex's twin on Halloween, and we generally have a little ceremony for him. I think I'd prefer if Alex didn't go. Maybe next year."

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry! May I ask how he died?" Lily shook her head. She couldn't explain why she was talking to Sarah Adamsen, of all people, about this.

"No. We don't actually know that he's... er, well, anyway, our home was invaded, and when James and I woke up, Harry was gone." Sarah gasped. The conversation quickly deteriorated after that, and Sarah went home to hug her son and thank her stars. As for Lily, she felt somehow relieved that that whole exchange, which would have likely happened eventually, was over with. Snow fell thickly halfway through November and snowmen and snow angels dotted the Potter's front yard. December brought freezing rain and grey skies, and generally miserable weather altogether. On his way from the market on Christmas Eve, James had stumbled over a small puppy shivering in the wet. Based on it's size, it might have been old enough to be weaned, but just barely, and James just couldn't leave it there. So he brought it home to Lily's tender care and Alex's elation. The kid had gone wide-eyed and practically frantic at the sight of the furry mess, and was possibly more excited than his parents had ever seen him. After discerning that it was a girl, they needed a name.

Alex wanted to name her Hairy.

Lily, misunderstanding, had not been amused, and had snapped a "no" at Alex rather fast. Then she had softened at Alex's stricken face and hugged him. "I'm sorry baby, but Harry's not a girl's name." Eventually, they settled on Cindy Lou, in light of the holiday movie that Lily had introduced them to. The next day, they returned home from Molly's Christmas Bash, even bigger this year due at least in part to her newfound success in the catering world, to find that Cindy had "piddled" on the floor and chewed open one of the throw pillows on the couch. A quick _reparo _and _scourgify _took care of the damage, but it was obvious they'd have to train their newest addition, and soon.

**.1984.**

Lily was trying to keep quiet, and giggling at the same time. Honestly, James was just ridiculous sometimes, she supposed that it _had _worked, given her current lack of clothing. A super cold February night found the couple warming eachother up. Champagne and strawberries wasn't exactly James' style, or hers, actually, but the cliche was rather funny. She hadn't celebrated Valentine's Day in quite a while, war and grief pushing it from her mind. And she'd been very careful about alcohol since her little stint at the bottom of a bottle, so it was nice to cut loose a bit. Unfortunately, just as things were getting interesting, a cold wet nose found it's way somewhere uncomfortable, and she shrieked loudly and fell off the bed.

"Ewwww!" She whined, hurriedly grabbing her robe as the alarm went off warning them that Meredith was awake. James was cackling like a madman. She threw a pair of pajama pants at him. "Not funny."

"Yes, it was!" He hitched up the pants. Giving Cindy a dirty looked, Lily yanked open the locked door and made her way to the nursery. Luckily, Alex slept like a log. Unluckily, Merry didn't. At least, not yet. But a bottle, which James was charming to the perfect temperature, would put the baby back to sleep, and then Mama could get back to business.

When Merry was asleep again, Lily made her way back to the master bedroom, through the attached bathroom, and into the laundry room attached to that, and blocked off the little flap door that let Cindy into where her papers and doggie bed were. Then she returned to the bedroom and discarded her robe.

"Now, where were we?"

In March, heavy rains hit, waterlogging the ground, and garnering a flood warning. The Potter's house was, of course, magically protected from such, but it was terribly gloomy and Alex, who loved being outside, was going stir-crazy. And so Lily hatched a plan. She wanted to go somewhere, and James had a good deal of vacation time at work, and she booked a portkey to Barbados, and they spent April lying on a beach carefully making sure every inch of Merry's ultra-pale skin was covered by sunblock charms.

"Honestly, James, if it weren't for the eyes, she'd be albino!" With baby Meredith's first birthday coming up, she was attracting more and more attention whenever they went out. Neither Lily nor James wanted to imagine what it would be like when she hit her teens. Alex adored the sand and the sun and the water and the shells and the waves and the surfers and pretty much everything, actually. He really was an easily excitable child. Their vacation was cut short by a week, when someone at the travel company leaked their location and the Potters found themselves suddenly overwhelmed with photographers and reporters, and activated their return portkey to get away.

But the photographers did get a few pictures, and red hair was suddenly in vogue. The general public hadn't known which of the twins was the remaining, as anyone who would talk couldn't remember which was which, and the few who knew weren't talking. Now the people had a cherubic face to go with their idol, and rumor had it that the Boy Who Lived's little sister was a beautiful baby, and the Potter's barrister was receiving a lot of offers for an arranged marriage between so-and-so's little boy or girl with one of the Potter's children. None of which James or Lily considered. The next vacation they took was unfortunately going to have to be muggle.

In May, they threw a party for Meredith, where the Weasley boys taught Alex all manner of frightening things, and Sirius and Remus, who had adored Meredith from the very instant they first saw her, took turns parading her around. Sirius had certainly never objected to the fact that Merry was a girl magnet, and had on several occasions taken her out with him for that very reason. Remus simply loved children, and Lily often wondered when he was going to find a girl and settle down and have some of his own to adore.

June passed all too quickly, and the sweltering days of July set in. Alex's fourth birthday party was held under a hastily constructed tent in the Weasley's yard, and then Lily charmed some magical water-wings on Alex, and James tried to teach him how to swim in the pond. Alex didn't much care for the deeper water, preferring splashing in the creek. Lily cradled an overtired and cranky Meredith under the shade of a tree, and Molly joined with a glass of lemonade for both of them. She leaned against the tree and rubbed Merry's back. Perhaps, she mused, good can come out of tragedy. Afterall, she might not have been sitting here, surrounded by boisterous red-headed children, with a woman who had pulled her up out of the ashes and knew all her dark places and still loved her, had things been different.

And maybe, as much as it hurt to lose Harry, maybe there was such a thing as fate. Maybe, as the Buddhists say, things unfold as they should.

That August, Lily found herself pregnant again.

**.1985. **

Elijah William came a month early, on March thirteenth. Unexpected as it was, they ended up at St. Mungo's, under the false names of Jim and Laura Patterson. There was a sweet, round-faced nurse who reminded Lily sadly of Alice Longbottom, that offered to perform a newly developed charm that would give an approximation of what somebody would look like in ten years. Elijah would someday be the very image of his father, it seemed, despite his current state of baldness and pinched red face. Remus was at the house, watching Alex and Meredith, and then he and Sirius would switch shifts until the Healers declared tiny little Elijah healthy enough to come home.

Deciding that two children was likely more than enough for Sirius, Remus was made Elijah's godfather, an act that had the reserved man stuttering and beaming.

May, with three children and Meredith's second birthday to plan, was hectic. Alex was his normal complacent self, Merry was starting to talk, and she was so, so smart, and Elijah was colicky and kept Lily exhausted, and her resulting moods frazzled James. For the one, single party, as Merry hadn't any muggle playmates yet, and Lily didn't think she could do more than one anyway, the little girl dressed herself up in a blue dress with mismatched opera gloves and her mum's most dowdy heels. Her hair, wildly curly (they weren't sure exactly where she got that from), had darkened a little, from brilliant white to a very pale blonde. She ate cake and ice cream and ran around with little Ginny, who was nearly two years older than her, but found her household sadly lacking of girls.

In July, Alex turned five, and plans were made for primary school. They decided that he would go to a muggle private school, and Lily would tutor him in magical matters after he came home. He started in September, and took to it very quickly. He was a very social child, and found the process of making friends exceedingly easy. Lily found that having him out of the house for several hours a day made it somewhat easier to deal with the young ones. Alex had never been a troublesome child, but it was one less in the mix for a little while. But on New Year's, more than a little tipsy, the trusty old contraceptive charm was forgotten, and another child was on it's way.

**.1986. **

In February, Alex and Merry got the flu, and with Elijah's colick and Lily's exhaustion, James quit his job to stay home and help out. This pregnancy was even harder then Meredith's, especially when they found out that it was twins again. That news brought it's own sad Harry Moment. The constant sickness and tiredness made it easy for Lily to slip back into depression, and it took the combined efforts of James and the children and sometimes Sirius or Remus or Molly to get her out of bed some days. But as her stomach expanded and she got over the initial shock, life resumed a somewhat normal pace. She was getting absolutely huge, had forgotten what it was like with twins, and carefully applied her Stretch-Mark Dissolver cream.

And when Lola Irene and Nora Grace made their appearance August tenth, again in a muggle hospital, they were welcomed heartily by their rather large family. There had been some concern when Nora's umbilical cord had wrapped around her neck, but the girls were both healthy and alert. And, it appeared, identical, with Lily's father's colouring. Dark brown hair, and pale plue eyes. With two full-time parents, the Potter household was able to manage five children under the age of seven. Sirius often joked with James that apparently he was trying to outstrip the Weasley's for child-bearing fame.

It was about a week before Christmas that James noticed that Nora wasn't as responsive as Lola, and so Lily took her to a Healer whose discretion they could trust. Nora fussed as Hr. Delacruz performed several diagnostic spells. Later, when Nora was deposited back into the playpen with her twin, Lily got James's attention by dropping a large book heavily on the table, distracting him from making supper.

"So what's the verdict?"

"We'll need to learn sign language."

"Wait, but there's nothing wrong with Lola?"

"No. Hr. Delacruz said that it isn't genetic. When Nora had that cord wrapped around her neck, the oxygen deprivation damaged the part of her brain responsible for hearing. When she's older she might be able to have a procedure to repair the area, but it's too dangerous to use those spells on a baby. If it were a physical problem with the ears, they'd be able to fix it right now, but her ears are perfect, it's her brain that's damaged. So, sign language."

He picked up the book. "Okay."

**.1987.**

The first year with a deaf baby was easy enough. She couldn't have been talking yet, anyway, and Lily and James practised their signing on eachother a lot, eventually dragging Sirius and Remus (who went willingly), and the Weasleys into learning. Merry learned quickly, she really was frightfully intelligent. Alex, though not quite as quick as his sister, was certainly no slouch; he had always been a peaceful, easy-going child, and learned patiently, a trait that Meredith lacked. Elijah and Lola were both too young, but Lola seemed to be very in tune with her twin, anyway.

And Elijah turned two, and Merry turned four, and they got her into school early, and Alex turned seven, and Nora and Lola had their first birthday, and life went on for the Potters. Lily, in a fit of mischeivousness, had them al posed for a Christmas portrait in wizarding fashion, and sent the picture to her sister in a "Hi, I'm still alive" letter. Petunia Dursley had sniffed and grumbled about the zoo of children and their nasty common names, and "why, they're no better than rabbits!" She tossed the picture and letter in the fire, and forgot about it.

**.1988-1990.**

Merry was excelling in school. Her teachers raved about her, and though she wasn't quite as social as Alex, she had made a couple little friends. However, whereas Alex, whose patience and placid nature resulted in very few incidents of accidental magic, Merry was rather more hot-tempered, and seemed to be both talented and creative in her accidental punishments. Elijah grew and started school himself, and was doing well enough. He was rather energetic and found it hard to stay in his seat, and actually he reminded his parents very much of Sirius. Lola and started speaking intelligibly, and Nora mostly made a lot of jibberish sounds, but she was learning to talk by having her hand held to someone else's throat. Lola actually seemed to be able to understand some of her twin's nonsense, and sometimes it was as though they didn't even have to use words. Lola would tell them when Nora was hurting, or sick, or wanted something.

And on the twenty first of December, 1990, Calvin Leonard was born, and Lily made James get a sterility charm placed, on the grounds that she wasn't "a bloody baby machine!" She reasoned that it could always be reversed if they decided that six wasn't enough. Calvin had Lily's red hair, and his father's eyes, and looked a lot like Alex had as a baby. Lily joked that she had redheads for endcaps, and privately mused that not one of her remaining children had inherited green eyes. Perhaps that was for the best, because they had been her favorite of Harry's features, both because they were simply arresting, and because a primal part of her was amazed to see something of hers on someone else, particularly a child.

Nine years was a long time, and it was an instant. Most of the time she was a highly functioning full-time mother of six. But sometimes the pain was a fresh as if it had been yesterday that her baby had been taken from her.

She should have been a mother of seven.

**.1991.**

With the arrival of Alex's Hogwarts letter came the end to many aspects of their idyllic life. Very few wizards would have suspected that the _Potters _would move right into the midde of muggle suburbia, and none of them were reporters. Alex had been very sheltered from the media vultures, his last encounter having been at the age of four, an experience he hardly remembered. Oh, he knew that he was famous in the wizarding world, and he knew why. But the protection the muggle world had afforded him left him woefully inexperienced when it came to dealing with the press. Not for the first time, his parents questioned their decision, but, as always, came to the conclusion that he was better off for having had a normal childhood away from the flashbulbs and ravenous masses. They didn't take him to Diagon Alley, not yet, but went themselves and picked up his books and supplies, choosing to give the media the shortest, smallest opportunity possible.

And so, clamoring for a sight of the elusive Boy Who Lived, reporters and photographers and general celebrity stalkers flocked to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, eager for a chance to see, touch, or even talk to Alexander Potter.

Lily and James anticipating this, waited until the very last moment, blending in as best they could with the Weasley clan, counting on the fact that most people had no idea what they looked like. Unfortunately, one of the reporters who had swarmed them on that beach in Barbados recognized her quarry, and sent up the alarm. The general melee that ensued gave the parents just long enough to hug and kiss the kids goodbye, put them on the train, which the reporters would never be allowed onto, and make their escape. The next morning, various newspapers-slash-gossip-rags ran blurry photos of a large group of redheaded people, though few people could be sure of exactly which was the famed Alexander.

Merry (who had been skipped up a grade at school, making her the only eight-year old in fifth form) giggled over the "news" at breakfast.

"They really are crazy about him, aren't they?" Her dad snorted.

"Absolutely. He saved their arses, and they want to put him on the cover of every magazine and newspaper around.What I wouldn't have given for that kind of popularity when I was at Hogwarts!" Lily slapped his arm.

"Language, James. And yes, they're obsessed. It's utterly disgraceful, though. He's a child! The kind of attention they want to give him could ruin a boy. It could inflate his ego even bigger than Sirius', if you can imagine. That's why we we live in the muggle world, Merry. So we don't have I suppose well-meaning, but entirey misguided reporters in our faces all the time. Why, when we took our vacation to Barbados when you were a baby, people got wind of how pretty you are and we were flooded with marriage offers. Everybody wanted to marry their son off to the beautiful sister of the Boy Who Lived!" Merry was horrified.

"Ew! I'm not ever getting married! Boys are icky!" Her parents laughed.

Later that morning, they received an owl from Alex, telling him that he had been sorted into Hufflepuff, which didn't paticularly surprise his parents. "Hey, better a 'Puff than a snake!" James said. Lily had had him pegged for that house for a few years, and James, while he had held out hope for Gryffindor, was realistic enough to agree that Alex was practically the Hufflepuff poster child. They had so far decided that Merry was almost definitely a Ravenclaw, Elijah was likely a Gryffindor, and the twins... well, it was too early to tell, really, but Lola was a lot like Alex in disposition, and Nora was... Nora. She was sweet and happy and whip-smart. Perhaps Ravenclaw. Calvin, of course, was far too young to even venture a guess.

Alex generally sent a letter at least once a week. Through this they learned that his favourite class was Transfiguration, somewhat of a victory for James, And that his least favourite was Potions, because the professor rather distinctly disliked him. When James had heard that Severus Snape was teaching, he was absolutely incensed, and ranted for ages about how could Dumbledore have allowed it, and why hadn''t someone told him? Lily finally calmed him down, but he remained annoyed, and he, Remus, and Sirius started hatching plans for revenge.

They also heard of his new friend, Hermione, who had become such because Ron had been quite uncharitable to the girl, and Alex, who didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body, took issue with his long-time friend's behaviour and made a point of befriending her. Ron, whose natural hot-headedness tended to be rather tempered by his best mate's gentler nature, followed in Alex's example. In fact, Alex seemed to be making friends all over the place at Hogwarts, just as he had in his muggle school, but then, it must be hard to _not _like Alex. He was a genuine Nice Person, and people were attracted to that. When a letter in the first week of November told them that a troll had gotten into the school, Lily had a minor panic attack, but it seemed that the professors had taken care of it and all was well. Then Alex came home for Christmas, brimming with stories about this and that, and he didn't stop chattering for the longest time.

**.1992.**

The second half of Alex's first year at Hogwarts passed by relatively uneventfully, right up until the end, where one of the professors turned out to have the disembodied form of Voldemort stuck to the back of his head. The news had struck fear in the hearts of James and Lily. With Voldemort making another appearance, something not known to the public, but Dumbledore had thought it prudent to inform the Potters, Alex was in a lot of danger.

There had always been some fear attached to Alex. First with his twin's disappearance, and the desperate knowledge that they couldn't bear to lose him, too. Then, when reality had set in and they realised what a celebrity their son was, and all the dangers that came with that- people deciding to hate him for no apparent reason, stalkers, well-meaning idiots, the fact that jealously breeds contempt. And for a boy with a beautiful family life, a hefty fortune to inherit, and all the fame anybody could ever ask for, what was there to not be jealous of? Alex was indeed fortunate, and those of less fortune would hate him for it without ever knowing him for the honestly kind, gentle boy that he was.

When he went back in September, Molly also saw the last of her children off. It was exceedingly strange for the older woman, not having any children in the house. For Lily, the five of her children who were home everyday reigned with chaos. She and James had petitioned the Hogwarts Board of Governors and Dumbledore for Meredith to be allowed early entrance next year. It was lengthy process where several "experts" would evaluate Merry and deem whether she was ready. But they were hopeful, they felt confident that she stood a good chance, and perhaps Alex's fame could be a good influence on anybody who hadn't made up their mind.

That Christmas, when Alex came home he talked a lot about people's different reactions to their famous new teacher. Apparently very many of the girls, even the smart ones who he would think would want to learn something useful, adored him, and just about everyone else abhorred him. Alex, of course admitted that he didn't really feel either way about him, but he rather thought that Dumbledore could have gotten a somewhat more useful professor. The man had even given a bewildered Alex "advice" about being famous. James laughed, and Lily traded a story about the DADA professor in her sixth year, a woman with perfectly styled hair and a voice that sounded like she breathed helium, who, when James and his friends released a wild dog (who was actually Uncle Sirius in animagus form) into the classroom, causing a good deal of chaos and confusion, had whined for weeks about the nail she had broken during the encounter. She didn't mention the pictures she still had of that dog, shameless ruffian that he was, humping Professor Viero's leg. Sirius had actually shagged the poor woman several months later, just before the end of term, in her partially packed-up office. Lily had been absolutely horrified when she first overheard Sirius detailing the encounter to his mates, but looking back, she could see the humour.

Sirius, after all, still held a reputation for shagging any girl with a decent pair of tits. Younger, older, blonde, brunette, even a muggle girl with one leg, once. According to him, it didn't much matter, considering that he didn't exactly look at their faces. Lily was beginning to doubt that Sirius would ever cease being a "connoisseur of women." Or, perhaps "man whore" would be the more appropriate term

**.1993.**

Thankfully, Alex's second year ended with no possessed professors. However, Gilderoy Lockhart had, upon Ron, Hermione, and Alex (but mostly Ron) calling him out for a fraud, managed to obliviate himself with Ron's wand, which had been broken in a scuffle with Draco Malfoy. The flamboyant man was now a resident of St. Mungo's Mental Ward, where he spent his days rambling nonsensically and attempting to charm ther nurses, not entirely without success. Merry had been accepted to Hogwarts, and she was as excited as she could be. Her parents worried a little for her, as children could often be harsh to both beautiful people, and smart people, and Meredith was definitely both. But she was also a strong girl.

Her first letter, which brought a surprise victory for her parents, as they had her pegged for Ravenclaw (or maybe even possibly Slytherin, though they didn't exactly relish that though) and she had been sorted into Gryffindor, reflected this. Lily had rather hoped for Ravenclaw, as most of the more scholarly students would be willing to overlook Meredith's beauty in favor of her intellect. Though Meredith was surprised and happy to be in Gryffindor with her friend Ginny, Lily knew that Gryffindors tended to be a bit judgemental, and Merry would have to face that. But, as the letters came, it seemed that Meredith found a like mind in Hermione Granger, and Ginny, who was inured to Merry's effect on people, shut a lot of people up and once they stopped seeing only a dangerously beautiful face, Merry made quite a few friends. But when students started being petrified, the whole school erupted into panic. No one had actually died yet, but the students, and their parents were indeed worried. That Christmas was a welcome relief for Alex and Merry, overcast only by the knowledge that when they raturned to Hogwarts, it would be to the same tense situation.

**.1994.**

"Would you like to have your future read?" The middle-aged woman called from her tent. It was summer, and they were at a muggle carnival, an attempt to get thei minds off the fact that Meredith had fought and killed a basilisk in a hallway at school. She had noticed something off about Ginny, and had followed her one night to find her friend opening a secret passageway in the girls loo. There had been a diary inhabited by the spirit of a young Voldemort, that had possessed poor Ginny, and Merry had destroyed it with the fang she had yanked out of her arm. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, had come to the rescue, and Merry had been a bit unclear about the events up to when she drove a sword through the giant snake's head. But it had become clear that Voldemort was ever closer to finding a way to return.

So, they were at a carnival, ejoying the chaos and the bright colours and the rides. They had just passed a fortune teller's booth, and Lily had fully intended to pass it by, but James couldn't resist a good bit of nonsense and had dragged all eight of them into the hot, cramped tent that smelled like dust and earth. The woman collected their money, gave a racking cough, and lit a cigarette as she settled herself at her little table. "So which one of you wants to go first?" The Potters looked at eachother for a moment, then James thrust his hand forward.

"Me, I guess." The woman smirked and gave another deep cough.

"I don't read palms, honey. I already know what lies ahead for you." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it in a rasping noise. "So, James Alexander Potter." James started. He didn't think he had told her his name. "The coming years will be pretty dark. By the end of next year, the world will descend into turmoil, and you and your family will be intimately involved. There will be great loss. But you will also find your peace."

"What the hell?" The woman glared at him.

"I can't be very specific, hon, that ain't how this works." It was the first time Lily noticed the woman's accent. It sounded rather like she was from a southern part of America. "Who's next?" Lily stepped forward. "Ah, the mother." The plump woman gave a somewhat sinister smile. "It never really stops hurting, does it? It won't. Not ever. Not truly. Even if you get him back, it won't be the same." The red-haired woman gasped.

"James, I think we should leave." The fortune teller gave a hacking laugh.

Outside, Lily shook her head and moved on. "That was really weird." Her husband offered.

"Absolutely ridiculous." She replied.

A month later, they met the Weasley's for the Quidditch World Cup. The four tents between the two families were overrun with children of vastly varying ages, from Bill's twenty-four to Calvin's three-and-a-half. There were some wizarding families looked down on families with many children. Usually these were the wealthy members of society, who chose to produce only one child only because inheritance disputes had a history of getting very ugly. But Lily couldn't imagine a life without this chaos. Sure, she would likely never have a perfectly clean house, and peace and quiet was certainly hard to come by. But each and every one of her children was a gift, and she had come to love the Weasley children nearly as much as her own. The two families were somewhat combined, and it showed when they were settling in that night after a spectacular game that had Ron and Alex totally enthralled. Ron, Fred, and George had taken up residence in the Potter Boy's tent, Merry was over with Ginny and Hermione, and Nora, Lola, and Calvin were over with the Weasley parents, who had somewhat missed having small children. Lily could hear the boys enthusiastically recounting the game as she washed Elijah, who had somehow gotten dirt _everywhere_, up.

Alex had gotten a spot on the Hufflepuff quidditch team last year, a chaser, like his father. Alex's addition had definitely improved the Hufflepuff team, and though Slytherin had won the cup again, it had been a close race. Ron had been crushed. The Gryffindor team just hadn't had a decent seeker since Charlie, and it had severely hurt their performance. This year the spot was open again, and Ginny was secretly planning on trying out. She had talked to Lily about it, and though Lily wasn't exactly a fan of quidditch, she had encouraged the girl. Ginny was still a bit fragile from the fiasco at the end of her second year, but she was a strong girl, and having the sport for an outlet could only help.

That night, Lily woke when James quickly sat up beside her. They blearily made their way outside, only to see utter madness. Bill was hurriedly returning from what appeared to be a good deal of fun, judging by his unsteady gait and inside-out shirt. He caught their eyes.

"Death Eaters." He said it quietly enough not to spread panic, but it was enough to snap the Potters into action, waking the children and sending them into the woods. The melee that ensued struck Lily as only the beginning. _There will be great loss_. The red-head shook it from her mind. She and James weren't as fit as they had been the last time around, but they were certainly not helpless by any means. The robed figures, sensing the end of their fun, disapparated away, before any of them could be apprehended.

"The Dark Mark!" Somebody screamed from behind them. The group swung around and stared, chilled at the sight of the green skull in the sky. A bright flash of red went off in the corner of their vision, and when they realized who te Aurors had cornered, they ran over. There was a bit of misunderstanding with people thinking that Alex had cast the Mark, but the protests of both the Potters and the Weasleys and Alex himself cleared it up eventually. As they returned to their campsite and packed their things for an early departure, Merry felt a chill run down her spine. She had a very bad feeling about this business.

The first week after school had resumed, Lily received a panicked letter from Alex, telling her that he had somehow been entered into the TriWizard Tournament, and selected as a champion. Her heart dropped to hide under her stomach. Also, Ron was apparently mad at Alex, not believing that he hadn't entered himself. Lily went to bed early with a headache while James wrote back. That Christmas the children didn't come home, as they stayed at Hogwarts for the Yule Ball. Ron (having made up with Alex after the First Task, where Alex had to steal an egg from a dragon, nearly giving his parents heart attacks) went with Parvati Patil, Alex went with Susan Bones, Ginny went with Neville Longbottom, and Merry had been rather left out until Seamus Finnegan had asked her. The picture that Professor Flitwick had managed to procure from a boy named Creevey and sent to her had Lily behaving in a rather embarassing manner. She cooed over how sweet Susan and Alex looked, and how Neville looked so much like his poor mother, and that Ron was jut hopeless, wasn't he, and how Merry seemed incredibly uncomfortable standing next to Seamus, whose face was bright red. Merry was only eleven, after all, and still wasn't sold on the idea of boys not being totally abhorrent. A good time was had by all, though, and Lily was sure that Alex now appreciated the few basic dance lessons she had forced on him.

**.1995.**

The aftermath of the Third Task left James and Lily to comfort a traumatised Alex as Dumbledore began the work of calling together the Order again. Cedric's death made an indelible mark on the young boy, and the return of Wormtail, who James was beginning to suspect had been Ron's rat, which had disappeared sometime last year. In an unexpected turn of events, Alex had told them that he didn't think whatever Voldemort had wanted his blood for had worked properly, because the Dark Lord had been extremely weak, giving Alex the opportunity to escape with Cedric's body. For the first time, they all speculated whather it had actually been Alex that had destroyed Voldemort nearly fourteen years ago.

That summer, they focused mostly on getting Alex over his grief. It was no easy task, and neither of his parents wanted to imagine what the poor boy had gone through in that graveyard. Meetings of the Order had reconvened at Grimmauld Place, which Molly immediately set to attempting to clean, as it hadn't been used in years and was in quite a state of disrepair. Sirius' young cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, was a new addition, and Lily quite liked the girl, even if she was rather... unusual. The younger children were mosty ignorant of what was going on, and the only children, mainly Alex, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, were all fired up, wanting to help, and frustrated that they weren't being allowed to. In a surprising turn, or pehaps not, actually, Dumbledore had offered Remus the spot for Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Snape had been distinctly less that pleased, but Remus had been quite overjoyed. Sometimes it broke Lily's heart to think the Remus was such a kind, good man, and he would forever be stigmatised by his condition. Even she and James had fallen for the bad reputation surrounding werewolves, and it was a failure they most deeply regretted.

So when it was time to pack the children off for school once again, they were somewhat more secure in knowing that Remus would be there to watch over Alex and Merry. Alex soon found out what OWLs were all about, as his few letters complained of the heavy load his classes were creating. Over Christmas break, the Potter family was dismayed to receive news that Arthur Weasley had been attacked by a giant snake and had been immediately taken to St. Mungo's, where the Healers were fighting for his life. Christmas was a rather more bleak affair than usual.

**.1996.**

When Voldemort finally attacked the Ministry outright, Fudge was forced to discontinue his refusal to acknowledge the Dark Lord's return. It was the official beginning of the Second War. The Ministry was scrambling to not appear entirely incompetent, and the Order was carrying on much as it had been for the last year. Sirius had sustained injuries in a duel with his cousin Bellatrix that were very slowly clearing up. He still experienced irritating tingling down his right arm.

Alex, Ron, and Hermione finished their fifth year, and as the wizard parents spent almost all of their time at Grimmauld these days, Alex and Ron had a shared bedroom for when going home just wasn't going to happen. In early July, the wards around the Potters' house in Mugge London went off. They were thankfully at Grimmauld that night, but it was obvious that they would not be able to return to their home, and so they moved into Sirius' dark old mansion and tried to make the best of it. Alex's sixteenth birthday was a somewhat more somber affair than usual, overcast by the creepy old house.

In August, there was a meeting of nearly the whole Order. Dumbledore headed it as usual, but he looked far mor haggard and tired than anyone had ever seen him. For the first time, he truly looked old.

"I feel that I must inform you that I am no longer certain that we can adequately defend againt Voldemort by ourselves. It is apparent that the Ministry's attempts to help are fruitless and may actually do more harm than good. So I belive it is my duty to inform you that the Janus Organization has offerred their aid." The room erupted into mumbles and whispers. "Most of you have probably not heard of this operation, and what little you have likely does not demonstrate my purposes in considering this possibility. Primarily, the Janus Organization deals in humanitarian outreach. But their military branch, even less known, is highly elite. I have not yet accepted their offer, for several reasons. The first of these is that the seem to have been aware of the Order for a long time, and knew to send heir missive to me, rather than Minister Fudge, who to most people would be the logical choice, given that this Order is supposedly secret. This gives me pause. Also, you must know that from what little information I have been able to collect, it appears clear that where the Janus Organization goes, reform follows. Entire governments have been toppled in their wake, and I believe we must consider carefully the possible ramifications of accepting their offer."

"Well, maybe letting them destroy the Ministry would be a good thing, if that's even what they're after. The Ministry has been corrupt for a long time, and a new start could be beneficial." James spoke up.

"However corrupted our current government is, James, we have no way of knowing whether what the Janus Organization intends to replace it with would be worse."

"But it could be better." Molly Weasley interjected.

"Yes, it could be. In fact, given that this organization is primarily a humanitarian one, that seems likely. But corruption is not limited to our government. We also must remember that the institution of a new government may create civil war by those who are currently favoured by the Ministry."

"Personally, I think it's worth a shot!" Tonks said.

"Wizarding society is rather backwards," added Lily "a shake-up could be a very good thing. The benefits of modernization, once everyone gets used to it, would far outweigh the risk." And so the discussion continued for quite a while, some arguing for possible reform, and some against.

"There is much to ponder about this offer. It seems that most of you are in favour of accepting aid, but it is not necessary that we make a decision now. In fact, the Janus Organization has set a date upon which we may speak with one of their representatives if we require more information. I have accepted that particular offer, and exactly one week from today, I will ask those of you who are not on another assignment to accompany me in meeting this person."

So it was that a week later, Dumbledore, Lily, James, Sirius, Tonks, Bill, Charlie, and Arthur let themselves into an abandoned and quite ramshackle old office building in a rather unsavoury neighbourhood of Muggle London. They were all rather apprehensive about this, especially considering their surroundings. But they followed the instructions- _in back door, take staircase to third floor, second door on left_- and found themselves in a room with a young man who appeared to be sleeping, actually. Lily took a moment to look at him. He appeared fairly tall, definitely not as intimidating in stature as Ron or Bill Weasley, but he was certainly not small, either. Of course, he was slumped over in his chair, his pale face resting in his hand, so it was rather hard to tell. He was quite slim, and possessed a head of thick black hair, cut rather haphazardly and looking windblown. Combined with his pale skin and black attire, he appeared very much like a vampire. He seemed to be wearing a high-necked overcoat with a silver circle clasping the neck closed, and silver pins continuing as closures down the chest, and black leather gloves. But there was something about his face, a softness that suggested-

"Muggle Christ. They sent us a kid." Sirius swore.

"You would do well to remember, Mr. Black, that appearances have a nasty tendency of being deceiving." They startled a bit when the youth spoke. But when he opened his thickly-lashed eyes, Lily forgot to breathe. Those were her eyes. That same brilliant green, standing out starkly against his dramatic colouring. Oh. God. Oh, _God_!

James seemed just as affected, but managed to speak. "Harry?" He hoarsely whispered. The boy's vibrant eyes flicked to them.

"Hello."

-----

Omg, I think this is the longest thing I've ever written! It took days! It got kinda choppy there, towards the end, but seriously, it was getting hard to write. Anyway, The rest will be mostly from Harry's POV, and will be much more interesting, I think.

Review, please!


	3. Not

Omg, I didn't realise that I had anonymous reviewing disabled until Shezza88 pointed it out. Christ, that was a pain in the ass to fix.

Plus, why was it set to that by default? That seems like a really dumb idea to me. Another one, cause several of ideas are kind of dumb.

Oookay, I know that this has taken a lot longer than even I had anticipated. I blame it on the holidays. I was home for a month with crap Internet and frequent brown-outs and black-outs due to heavy snowfall and resulting car accidents. On the upside, I had a pretty good holiday, and the nice long break from school was much appreciated. By the end, though, I was practically crawling out of my skin to get back to my apartment, cause I love my family, I really do, but they drive me NUTS. And now I'm here, with my pretty intarweb back, and all is well!

--Yes, there will be ships. Some more pronounced than others, but definite ships.

--Yes, I did make up the Janus Organization. If there is one in real life, it's a total coincidence.

Also, I've noticed that up to this point, I haven't had a disclaimer! So: Not mine.

Enjoy!

:-:-:-:

Chapter Three: Not

**Always behave like a duck -- keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath.**

**Jacob M. Braude (b. 1896) American humorist, writer**

:-:-:-:

_"Muggle Christ. They sent us a kid." Sirius swore. _

_"You would do well to remember, Mr. Black, that appearances have a nasty tendency of being deceiving." They startled a bit when the youth spoke. But when he opened his thickly-lashed eyes, Lily forgot to breathe. Those were her eyes. That same brilliant green, standing out starkly against his dramatic colouring. Oh. God. Oh, God!_

_James seemed just as affected, but managed to speak. "Harry?" He hoarsely whispered. The boy's vibrant eyes flicked to them. _

_"Hello."_

He took them in dispassionately, privately evaluating the people standing in front of him, completely baffled and entirely too unsteadied by his presence. Finally, he rested his eyes on Dumbledore. "So have you reached a decision?" He asked. The old man seemed to be at a bit of a loss, and started at being spoken to.

"I rather think, young man, that we have quite a lot of questions for you, and not wholly about the Janus Organization." The group of Order members were slowly starting to put their wits together. Bill, Charlie, Arthur, and Tonks, not nearly as shell-shocked as James and Lily, were trading surprise glances over the heads of the Potters, who were just beginning to disengage themselves from the various hands holding them up. The green-eyed boy made a noncommittal humming noise.

"Harry?" Lily asked, nearly pleaded. The boy turned his attention to her for a brief second, before standing and giving a perfunctory bow.

"I am Haruki Suvan. Some call me Harry, but they are few. I would prefer your group to address me as Suvan, only." He focussed his astonishing eyes on Lily, again. "I will permit you use that name, given the circumstances." He stared at them all for a second, then blinked and seemed to gather himself. "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss if we are to form an alliance." He gestured to the other chairs at the table as he gracefully returned himself to his own. He steepled long, slender fingers in front of his face and bestowed a vague, cool smile on them. "The Organization does not offer it's aid lightly. Generally, we avoid matters such as this, because we deal primarily in humanitarian outreach. But it appears that your Tom Riddle is continually gathering more and more support both in your country and on the Continent. There have even been rumblings in America and the Far East. Our offer is made with the goal of pre-emptively striking Riddle down before he lays a humanitarian crisis of titanic proportions on our hands."

"My dear boy, forgive the interruption, but where have you been these fifteen years?" Dumbledore interjected. Suvan blinked and proceeded to ignore the headmaster.

"While normally our activities concern feeding, medicating, and educating third-world peoples, all of our members are militarily trained in some capacity. There is understandably a portion of our number who cannot participate in combat for various reasons, but they are quite specialized in other areas."

"Are you Harry Potter?" Nymphadora Tonks asked, to-the-point as always.

"Our combat units are highly elite, and would be an invaluable asset to any battles against Riddle and his followers. Also, we have an impressive medical team, equipped with the very latest technology and knowledge. Our information specialists are the best in their field, if I do say so myself. Those are the three main branches of our military operation, they often overlap, and work cohesively. My device in this meeting is to allay any concerns you may have regarding our collaboration."

"Child, please, are you or are you not Harry James Potter?" Asked the headmaster in a mildly exasperated manner. A flicker of annoyance crossed the boy's face.

"I was once. And I will not entertain any more questions on that matter. I am here regarding an alliance, and I ask that you keep our discussion on that topic." There was steel in his voice, brooking no argument. To Lily and James, and old wound that had never really healed expanded. What happened to their sweet baby? There were remnants, here. The same watchful gaze, the fine bones that had been apparent even in an infant. This was Harry. And it wasn't. Sirius opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Harry cut him off. "Now, if you have any questions about the Organization, I suggest you ask them now. My time is valuable." Dumbledore paused a moment, then gave in to the boy.

"Our main concern is your organization's propensity for political reform. It seems foolish to accept your help when it may result in a similar toppling of the government as Voldemort has in mind." Harry gave a small smirk.

"I assure you, Mr. Dumbledore, that we are in no way similar to Riddle. It is true that we have overthrown corrupt regimes in the past, and we will continue to do so in the future. As for our intentions towards your ministry... we have no current plans. Generally, we only forcibly institute reform when asked to by the governed body." The conversation continued in a similar vein for around twenty minutes, before Harry graciously offered to leave the room for a moment so that the group from the Order could confer. Finally, they decided that they really didn't see much they could lose by accepting aid. Their government may be destroyed by the end of it all, but it was a risk they were rather willing to take.

"We accept, Mr. Suvan." Harry, having re-entered the room, faintly smiled.

"Excellent. I will arrange a liason. Originally I had intended to send one of our members back with you, but it has occurred to me that you may regard such an action as me sending in a spy. So I offer a trade. I will send one of our members with you, and you may choose one of your own to accompany me, so that we may maintain an open atmosphere." He wrote something down and slid the paper across the table. " You may send your emissary to this address at seven o'clock tomorrow evening. My own will meet you there."

"But... So you won't be coming back with us?" Lily asked quietly.

"Sorry, but I have duties elsewhere."

"Dear boy, you are a minor, and legally, you belong with your parents." Harry's eyes flashed.

"You'll find, Mr. Dumbledore, that I am not subject to British Wizarding Law. Even if I were, I tend to have a very low level of regard for rules. As I stated, my duties require me to be elsewhere, though I will likely confer with your group on several more occasions before this war is over. Now, I bid you good night, and good luck." He turned and strode quietly out of the room.

* * *

Back at Grimmauld, Lily and James got over their shock and locked themselves into their room, where Lily's desperate crying could be heard in the hallway. When Remus returned from his patrol, he found Sirius passed out on the couch in the ground floor sitting room, the elder Weasleys conferring in whispers, and Tonks sitting on the floor directly across from the Potter parents' door. He gave her an inquisitive look and settled next to her.

"Wotcher, Remus."

"What's going on around here?" He asked, quietly.

"I'm keeping the kids from banging on the door and making things worse." The werewolf raised an eyebrow. "That meeting we went to tonight? Harry was there." At Remus' sharp intake of breath, she patted his knee. "He was really... cold. He knows who he is, and was quite set against coming back here. They were in shock for pretty much the whole meeting, and locked themselves in as soon as we got back." She sighed.

"Oh, god, this is gonna be hard." Remus scrubbed his hands over his face. "It was bad enough the first time when they had just lost him. Now he's alive, but he's not interested. I don't think there's enough damage control in the world for this..." Tonks nudged him with her shoulder.

"Sirius told me once about how you held them all together the first time. You'll help them get through this again." He gave her a tired smile.

"The school term starts in three weeks. Not nearly enough time." Tonks sighed again.

"Well, then. I guess on the upside, we accepted the alliance. He wouldn't promise that they wouldn't go after the ministry, but we figured that we need all the help we can get, and it really was a generous offer. We have the full backing of their combat, medical, and information services. They're sending one of their own to stay here, and one of us is going to go with them, sort of a good will gesture."

"Who's going?"

"Dunno. Dumbledore's gonna ask for volunteers at the meeting tomorrow. I'm thinking of doing it." Remus turned his head to look at her. Her dark eyes were fixed on the wall across from her, candy pink hair shaggier than usual, having fallen out of it's spikes. Her whole body screamed exhaustion, evident in that she seemed to have shrunk a bit. It was interesting, how indicative her appearance was of her mood.

"Well, we'd certainly miss you brightening up these dismal hallways." She looked at him like she was searching for something, then gave sort of half-smile.

"What're you talking about? All the red hair in this house isn't bright enough?"

"Indeed."

At some point during the hour that followed, Tonks slumped over, her head resting on his upper arm as she lightly snored. Remus leaned his head back against the wall and dozed lightly. This was how Merry found them, much later. The thirteen-year-old gently shook Remus' unoccupied arm, startling him awake.

"Maybe you and Miss Tonks should go to bed, Uncle Remus." Remus, hearing nothing but quiet from the room he was guarding, agreed. He ruffled Merry's white-blonde hair and half-carried a drowsy and even clumsier than usual Tonks down the hallway, depositing her in her room before heading for his. Merry gave her parents' door an intense look before returning to the room she shared with Ginny and Hermione, glass of water in hand.

* * *

Harry flopped onto a well-worn couch and flung his arm over his eyes. "Why, oh why, did I let you convince me that that whole disaster was a good idea?" Laughter tinkled around him. He removed his arm and glared balefully at the young woman who was curled in a chair opposite him. She grinned at him.

"What, were you your usual pain in the arse self?" She brushed a short lock of strawberry-blonde hair away from her face.

"My parents were there."

"And you knew very well that might happen. Actually, you knew that it probably would happen, if not at this meeting, then in the future. I didn't force you into anything, Har. You make your own decisions; I've never been able to convince you to do something you truly do not wish to." She paused, and fixed a calculating look on Harry. "I think that you were curious." Harry glared at her even harder. "Don't be such a brat."

"I hate you." Her blue-gray eyes twinkled.

"No, you don't."

* * *

The next day, Bill Weasley accompanied Charlie to the end of a rather dark back alley in Muggle London, where he was traded for a tall girl with short strawberry-blonde hair and a boatload of freckles. Frankly, Bill was surprised, she couldn't have been more than eighteen years old, and she looked rather frail. She was pretty, he supposed, and in posession if a pair of fantastically long legs, even if she really was too skinny. She grinned at him, a wide, beaming expression that lit up her tired face and offered a hand.

"Hi, I'm Catherine Delaney. Just call me Cat or Cathy." American, then, by her accent. He shook her hand and introduced himself, and they made the trip back to Grimmauld in awkward silence. There, he showed her the paper with the address on it, and let them in. She glanced around the forbidding old mansion with a little distaste, but cheerfully met the horde of people within. Most of the adults had something to do, but the two youngest Weasleys and the six Potter children were in full rambunctious form. Arthur was bemusedly watching the havoc while Molly prepared dinner, and Bill assumed that Remus and Sirius were still taking turns with James and Lily. Professor Dumbledore would be arriving sometime soon, with several of the other Order members in tow.

Finally, Dumbledore made his appearance, and greeted Cathy rather cautiously. "I must confess, Miss Delaney, that the true purpose of this exchange of personnel eludes me." He prompted. Cathy laughed.

"Oh, I'm no more a spy than your Charles is a hostage. Really, it's to make communication easier. When you correspond with Harry, you may gloss over little things that he may actually need to know at some point, much as he might do the same on his part. Charles and I have traded places to sort of be available for all the extra little details. Also, it's a bit of a trust-builder. We know it's been a leap of faith on your part to ally yourselves with the Organization, and we want you to be able to trust us." At this point, Sirius seemed to have coaxed James and Lily down from their self-imposed solitude, and they were listening to the girl rather sadly. "A human face tends to help with those kinds of things, and heaven knows that Harry isn't exactly personable these days, so I came."

"Ah. As to Mr. Potter, we have indeed a multitude of questions."

"He'd have my hide!" Cathy chuckled, with a wide, toothy grin. "That said, I suppose I can answer a few of your more harmless ones, but I'll have to plead the fifth on anything too revealing."

"Plead the fifth?" Bill asked, confused.

"Oh, sorry! American slang. It refers for our fifth amendment right not to incriminate ourselves; generally we use it to mean that we won't answer." Here, Cathy noticed the older Potters, and made her way to them. She grasped Lily's hands and attempted a comforting expression, though it came off more as amusement. "Don't take it personally, Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter. Harry is an... interesting fellow, and I'm sure he'll come around at some point."

"Er, that's helpful to know." Jame supplied, more quietly than usual. Cathy beamed.

"Really. He's a bit daft sometimes, but he usually eventually realizes that he's being stupid." She winked, then turned back to the rest of the group. Molly called for supper, and a large portion of the Order took to the long table laden heavily with food.

* * *

"Sweet Merlin." Charlie's eyes widened as he got his first look at the Janus Organization's headquarters. It certainly made stately if depressing Grimmauld seem plain by comparison. It was thoroughly modern with blinding white floor and walls, with large amounts of gleaming polished chrome in the form of handrails and window frames and what appeared to be a vast abstract sculpture hanging from the glass ceiling. The furniture was mainly pitch black overstuffed chairs and couches that actually looked quite comfortable. Directly in front of the main doors was a huge receiving desk of shining black wood. The starkness was offset by the art on the walls. Bright abstract paintings attracted the eye, a welcome respite from the cornea-searing white and black. People milled about, and the three people behind the desk fielded the endlessly ringing phones. For all intents and purposes, it appeared to be a totally muggle establishment. No apparent apparition point, no floos, and the electronics seemed to be in working order.

Harry led him to a very nice lift that smoothly carried them to the tenth floor, where he showed him to his room and promised a tour in the morning. The room was pleasantly contrasted the main lobby, decorated in warm neutrals. There was even a fireplace, with a small pot of floo powder on it's mantle. Tossing his Ever-Expanding duffel on the bed, Charlie crossed to the fireplace and flooed Grimmauld. Sirius' head appeared in the fire.

"So, how's our esteemed trade-in?" He grinned lopsidedly at him, a gesture that Charlie returned.

"Hello, Sirius. I'm fine. Just got to my room here."

"And where is 'here?'"

"I'm not entirely sure on that part; I was side-alonged. From the outside, it's a gigantic glass and steel building set somewhat remotely, with a city just on the edge of the western horizon, backed up to some snowcapped mountains. But it's green and warm down here. Really quite postcard-like. I've been promised a tour in the morning, I'll badger someone about my location then. How're things going with my replacement?"

"Cathy's, er, nice. She smiles a lot, and is apparently right in thick with Harry. But she won't tell us much, just that most people's first impressions of him are wrong. It's a bit annoying, actually.

* * *

Harry parked the dusty Jeep outside a squat stucco building. The front yard teemed with children of many different ages, several of whom stopped playing to cling, grinning to his legs. He muddled through the congregation.

"Suvan! Suvan!" A little boy cried, pushing dark curls out of his tanned face.

"Hello, Uday. How're you?" The boy grinned, showcasing his missing front teeth. Harry smiled back.

"I'm good Mr. Suvan, how're you?"

"Well enough. Where's your Aunt Tamal?" Uday brought Harry into the house, pulling by the hand. In the parlor, Tamal was lying on a shabby old pea-green sofa with a wet rag over her eyes. Releasing Harry's hand, Uday scampered back outside. "Are you well, Tamal?" Harry asked, quietly. A long, slender hand removed the rag. If Fleur Delacour was the epitome of fair beauty, than Tamal Bolivar was dark beauty. Wild chocolate brown curls were loosely gathered to back of her head, her long, curving lashes framing glittering brown eyes. Her blood-red lips bowed sensually, complementing her dusky skin. Her tall frame and Latin curves guaranteed that heads would turn wherever she went.

"The heat always gives me a headache, bebe." She pouted and rose, grasping his hands. Harry placed a kiss on both of her cheeks, and smiled.

"Then how would you feel about relocating to a cooler climate, Hot Tamale?" Tamal's intense dark eyes pinned his, and she slid a hand up his chest.

"Why, agapito," She leaned in, practically purring. "Just what are you proposing?"

"Mmm. I'm helping the English with a little problem of theirs. An overgrown bully styled as Dark Lord." Tamal stepped in even closer.

"Well, then. I accept. It would be unfortunate, indeed, to leave my family to the machinations of a mortal." She grinned lustily, fangs glinting in the dim light.

"Indeed." Harry replied, closing the little distance between them.

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Thanks for reading, please review!!


	4. Interview with the Vampire

Oh, how I just adore reading all your lovely reviews! Such is the sustenance of a writer like myself. Thank you all verrah verrah much.

Disclaimer: Me no own. Me want. Me can not have, but that's just too bad, isn't it?

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**Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.**

**Alinski Saul (1909-1972) American social organizer  
_Rules for Radicals_, "The Purpose" (1971) **

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Harry strode into the small, dingy kitchen, buttoning his jeans as he went. A short, plump girl of about fourteen was there, washing the many dishes. "Hullo, Arcelia." The girl turned deep brown eyes, much like her sister's, on him.

"Buenas tardes, Suvan. How are you today?" Arcelia Bolivar was a younger, somewhat nicer version of Tamal. The sisters' facial features were nearly identical, but their statures were not their only differences.

"I'm alright. 'M afraid I'm stealing Tamal away to England for a while. Will you guys be okay without her, or should I send someone to help?" Arcelia turned back to the sink.

"I will let you know." At that moment, Tamal slipped into the kitchen. She drug her hand across Harry's back as she crossed to the counter, where she began to put the dry dishes away.

"It will be fine. I don't imagine your little war will take up too much of my time. I assume my role is to sway my people away from this 'Dark Lord.' This will be easy." Tamal's unwavering confidence was sometimes charming.

Other times, a bit annoying.

* * *

At Grimmauld, the warm evening light was trying hard to brighten the dank surroundings. Cathy was perched on a chair in the drawing room, writing something in a notebook. Ron, Hermione, and Alex were in a corner of the room, heads together, whispering. Merry was braiding Ginny's long red hair and listening to the girl chatter about her new boyfriend, Dean. Elijah, Lola, Nora, and Calvin were playing make believe with the dog, Cindy, in front of the fire. Remus and Tonks were sitting silently on opposite ends of one of the couches, stealing not-so-secret glances at one another. The Potter and Weasley parents could be heard vaguely through the wall to the kitchen.

Just as Lily and James walked in, Dumbledore with them, Alex, Hermione, and Ron all stood up and moved to sit down directly across from Cathy. Smiling, she put down her notebook and looked at the teens expectantly. The three in front of her couldn't seem to find the words, though, so she smirked and asked "Yes?"

"Well-" The girl, Hermione, started.

"It's just-" Ronald tried to begin, but words apparently failed him. Alex sighed, audibly.

"Harry is my twin." He said, matter-of-factly.

"I know." Cathy replied. "You don't really look a whole lot alike, but you have the same nose." Alex seemed a bit startled at this.

"I just think that I deserve to know something about my brother." The redhead stated. "I don't even really remember him..."

Cathy smiled again. "Alright, one question. And if I can't answer it, you can have another try."

"What's he like?" Cathy heaved a sigh.

"See, you go straight for a hard one." Alex's face fell for a second. "Harry's... complicated. Far more so than I can describe to you. But he's a good person, even if he is a moody bitch." She laughed. Lily now stood next to Alex, a hand on his shoulder.

"Please, can you tell me- who raised him? Did he have a good life?" Cathy studied her for a minute, looking slightly sad.

"He was found by a woman whose name I don't know. I never met him until a little over a year ago, so I wasn't there, but from what he's told me and I've observed, he was happy. They didn't know who he was until just recently, actually, so please don't be angry with either of them. Harry will come around eventually, I promise, and I really shouldn't be telling you all this, Harry'd pitch a fit if he knew."

"One last question, then." James said. Cathy waited, expectantly. "Is he good with the ladies?" James grinned a bit, and Lily slapped his arm, but her amusement was obvious. Cathy laughed.

"Tonks, you saw him, what do you think?" Tonk's eyebrows shot up.

"Well, he's not exactly my type, bit young for my tastes, but objectively- phwoar!" Cathy grinned.

"There you have it. 'The ladies' are often fans of Harry's. Especially when they get to know him a bit, and see what a good guy he is. That's, of course, when things get complicated, cause Harry's picky about his women." She winked. "I've had to break up a catfight or two on his behalf."

"And what about you? Are you a Harry Fan?" Tonks asked.

"Maybe if things were different. But as it is, only in the capacity of close friend and occasional bouncer. Some girls are just rabid, honestly!"

"So does he have a girlfriend, then?" Hermione asked. Ron glared at her, and she elbowed him.

"Er, not exactly"

* * *

Charlie's tour guide knocked on his door at around ten in the morning. For the next four hours, Charlie was led around by a wire-thin man named Gavin, who managed to give off an aura of quiet, even though he kept up a running commentary the whole time. There were a total of sixteen levels to the Alima Institute, five of them below ground. These areas were guarded, and a passcode and identity check were required to access them. The sixteenth floor Gavin explained as administrative offices, and Suvan's personal quarters. The first five floors above ground were for all intents and purposes muggle; the five floors above that, magical. Charlie was surprised to find that there was absolutely no barrier between the muggle and magical quarters; indeed, they were almost identical, with the minor exceptions of things like telephones and refrigerators.

"The Organization does not distinguish between magical and non-magical. As _human_itarians, we reach out to _all_. We do not draw lines between people to value one over the other." Gavin explained.

"But what about secrecy laws?" Charlie asked. After all, there were reasons that wizarding society was hidden from muggles. A smirk crossed Gavin's face.

"The Divakar-Loe is the only law that matters."

* * *

That night, Death Eaters struck an upscale London neighborhood. Packed with affluent muggles, it made a great target for the masked bigots. The Order was the first to respond, Mad-Eye having alerted them of the attack almost before it started. Almost all of the available adults popped onto the street and were thrown immediately into battle. Curses and hexes flew from both sides, and it had been no more than two minutes before individual Aurors started showing up. After three minutes of bedlam, Aurors, Order, and Death Eaters alike were surprised when a whole group of people appeared simultaneously.

They were outfitted in closely-fitting black uniforms, marked with blue or red symbols that seemed to denote rank. A man with a craggy face and wild steel-grey hair shouted an order, and the group surged as one. The Order members started to defend, until Sirius recognized the pins on the shoulders of the deftly attacking platoon. They were similar to a pin that had adorned Harry's overcoat, and was also haphazardly stuck to Cathy's duffel bag.

"They're with Janus!" he shouted, and the Order members fell in with the Organization's soldiers. The Aurors who were members passed the message along to their colleagues that the strange group were allies. The fight was downhill from there. The British wizards watched in slight awe as the foreign soldiers quickly overwhelmed the Death Eaters, hardly even using their wands. Many Death Eaters were brought down by hand alone. As Voldemort's cronies started to realise that they would not win this battle, those who could disapparated. The incapacitated or dead, were grouped together on the sidewalk. One of the Aurors left to call for obliviators for the muggles caught in the crossfire, and for a brief moment, everything was still, everyone simply staring at eachother until suddenly, another group appeared, this time uniformed in flowing purple silk robes. These walked among the injured and tended their wounds.

Sirius, who had received a rather nasty cutting hex to his thigh, was flirting madly with the pretty, rather young lady who was skillfully repairing the damage. She, Lily was glad to see, was totally ignoring her patient's advances, speaking only to ask medically pertinent questions and mutter healing spells. Suddenly, for a second, the heads of all of the Janus Organization's people snapped up. Those who were focused on other jobs immediately went back to their tasks, but the uninjured soldiers immediately snapped to attention, bowed with their right fists touched to their foreheads.

"At ease." A voice said, quiet, yet resonating. All heads turned in the direction of the newcomer, and Lily found her breath stolen as she looked upon her absent son, striding confidently across the makeshift battlefield. The soldiers came out of their bows, but still stood rod-straight with their eyes affixed on Harry. Lily's brow furrowed. She had figured that he was relatively important in the Organization, as he had been sent to persuade them- though it had crossed her mind that he may have been sent only because of his relationship to Order Members- but the level of respect these soldiers displayed changed things. Was he their commander? But he was so young, barely sixteen! He came up to the craggy-faced man, who gave another small bow. "Report?" Harry inquired.

"Twelve captured, sir. Three dead, four cursed, and five physically incapacitated." Harry cast a cool eye on the captive Death Eaters. He studied them, his apparently unflappable calm making some people slightly nervous. Just as James started towards him, a wickedly sharp battle axe appeared in the younger man's hand. Everyone paused as he swung his blade, and then there was a muffled thunk, but very little blood. With a sick roll of his stomach, James realised that Harry had cut the head off of one of the dead Death Eaters. He released a young, skinny Death Eater, who was by now shaking visibly, and thrust the head of Antonin Dolohov into the hands of the nervous Death Eater who really could not have been more than twenty.

"Death is a softer thing by far than tyranny, Predjar. Return this to your master. He will have no victory here." The wide-eyed boy disappeared with a soft crack. Lily felt tears return to her eyes. Harry returned to the craggy-faced man, and exchanged a few words. "Return when your wounded are able, General Stokas."

Later, when the events of the battle were relayed to Dumbledore, the Headmaster's eyes abruptly stopped twinkling. While it was obvious that their newfound alliance would indeed be a great help when it came to fighting the Death Eaters, it appeared that Harry was quite highly placed in the Organization's ranks, and was also quite capable of rather shocking violence.

* * *

Cathy seemed to brace herself up and approached the Headmaster. Their leader cast twinkling eyes on the young girl and raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, Miss Delaney?"She sighed heavily.

"I got a message from Harry today. There's someone else he brought into this whole mess that he would like you to meet 'at your own discretion' he was sure to emphasize." She made air quotes, feeling utterly foolish.

"You don't seem particularly pleased about this development, Miss Delaney. Who might this person be?" Cathy's pale face grew stormy.

"Yeah, she's some sort of vampire princess who'll maybe someday the big bad 'Queen of the Damned' or whatever. Anyway, she's quite influential, and Harry thinks she can sway some of Riddle's vampires to our side." Dumbledore seemed to consider this new information for a moment.

"And where, may I ask, does your particular attitude about her come from?" Cathy sighed.

"Oh, I suppose she's nice enough. When she wants to be. Harry wouldn't associate so closely with her if he didn't find her up to his standards. We simply have... personal differences, nothing that should really affect anything she may want to help you with."

"I suppose having the vampires change sides would be quite beneficial. We'll have a vote on it."

* * *

Tamal Bolivar was carefully pinning up her masses of curls when Kiamet, her constant companion, informed her that her visitors had arrived. She sniffed delicately. Catherine was probably with them; the girl trusted Tamal no more than Tamal trusted Catherine. She sighed dramatically.

"Kiamet, mi querido, please tell Anastacia to have the room cleaned after they leave." Regarding her reflection critically, the tall beauty sashayed into the dim parlor. Standing somewhat awkwardly in the beautifully furnished room was a rather rag-tag group of people, dressed in the most unusual fashions. For once, Catherine almost looked normal! "Welcome. Do have a seat." She gestured with a graceful hand, as she took a seat in a very large overstuffed easy chair. Tamal smirked slightly. "Catherine, don't be so rude! You must introduce me!" The plain girl gritted her teeth audibly.

"Tamal Bolivar, I present you select members of The Order of the Phoenix. Nymphadora Tonks." Catherine gestured to a somewhat pretty young lady with an upturned nose and bright pink hair. "Bill Weasley." A tall, attractive young man with bright orange hair. "Remus Lupin." Werewolf. She managed to keep from curling her lip in disgust. Perhaps Harry's constant preaching was starting to sink in. "And James Potter." A man of average height, with black hair and hazel eyes. He was rather handsome in a foppish way.

Tamal put on her most winning smile. "Welcome." The visitors nodded in greeting. Honestly, these English were so tight-lipped! "Well, I see we have quite the little welcoming committee here!" Awkward silence. Tamal cast about for more words. 'Make nice with the locals,' Harry had said. Well, she couldn't do all the talking here! "Tea, anyone?" The werewolf agreed, elbowing his friend, who also hurriedly agreed.

"So, Ms... Bolivar," The werewolf started.

"Oh, please, Tamal. 'Ms. Bolivar' is my mother!"

"Er, Tamal. May I ask how it you intend to aid the resistance?" Tamal cocked her head.

"Your little war with Mr. Riddle?"

"I'd hardly call it a 'little war." James interjected. Tamal sniffed and ignored him.

"He sees fit to promise my people equality when, if he wins, he will surely enslave us."

"You could care less about that, Tamal." Catherine said. The vampire turned cold eyes on her rival.

"Do not presume to know my intentions, girl. Everything I have said is true. Yes, my main reason for being here is because Harry has asked it of me, but are you not here for the same reason, Catherine? Why else would you endanger yourself so? Why else would you even bring your tainted self into my presence?" There was a glinting hardness in Tamal's eyes. Cathy flushed an angry red.

"Why I'm here has very little to do with Harry. You couldn't possibly understand why I have to do this, _princess_." Tamal's eyes flashed.

"_Indeed_." The Latin beauty proceeded to ignore her adversary. "Despite everything, my family still holds a great deal of influence in the Colony. I will bring those your 'Dark Lord' has ensnared back to our side. And then when the time comes, my people and I shall come to Harry's aid."

"It is, ah, the particular nature of your aid that concerns us." Remus explained. "We try to kill as few as possible." Tamal's great dark eyes narrowed.

"I should think you have little room to speak, werewolf." Surprise lit the faces of everyone but Cathy. "You make unfair judgments of a people quite as afflicted by social bias as you are yourself." Lupin had the grace to look chagrined. "However, it matters not. Perhaps you are thinking you have a choice. This meeting is simply a courtesy. How you feel about Vampires entering this fight is of no concern. In fact, I shall do you the courtesy of forewarning you that before this is all through, you will likely be in alliance with far more types of man and beast than you could possibly imagine."

"Oh?"

"The Janus Organization is, after all, a global enterprise."

* * *

After many hours of sitting idly on the couch, Harry was finally beckoned in to the great office. Sunlight streamed in from all sides, allowed by four walls of plate glass, refracting through the large prism on a center pedestal, casting strips of colored light everywhere. The shaggy carpet was perfectly white, and the effect of being in the very center of a star was heightened by the glass and chrome furniture, all charmed to be comfortable and unbreakable.

At the cluttered desk was a small, plump woman with greying light brown hair. She looked up and smiled indulgently, her pale blue eyes alighting on Harry. Harry returned the smile and picked up a geode that she had been using as a paperweight. It was a familiar gesture, and he took a seat, turning the curio absently between his hands.

"How's my favorite Kochava?" Harry sighed.

"Well enough. I just came from a fight with some Death Eaters. They were easily overcome. Three dead, nine incapacitated. I sent a rather strong message back with one of the young ones."

"Mm, very well. And your side trip to...recruit...Miss Bolivar?" Harry smirked a little.

"She's been placed in a section of Muggle London." The woman made an indiscriminate noise.

"You know I don't approve of her, but I'll let you have your way on this one, for now."

"Once you get past the arrogance and vanity, she's actually quite a decent person."

"I'm sure. And I'm sure you've seen your biological parents since then..." Harry sighed once again.

"Yes. It's very confusing." The woman was silent, encouraging her companion to continue. "I- They're my parents. The woman- _my_ _mother_- birthed me and raised me for a year. But they are total strangers to me. It's so very obvious that they want their son back, but-" he trailed off for a moment. "I don't feel anything for them, except perhaps a little pity. And even if I did, I don't think I could be what they expect me to be." The woman was silent for a moment.

"You... must make an effort to get to know them. If you don't, you'll never forgive yourself. It is an awkward situation, to be sure, and circumstance has not been kind in this matter. But... hopefully everything will work out. It will only take time." with gentle smile, Harry stood.

"Thanks." He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight Roo. Get some sleep, tomorrow you're training the fourths."

---

After waking at the break of dawn, Harry had prepared a small meal, gone through his exercises, checked his uniform for damage and repaired what little there was, and checked his e-mail for any change of plans. Finding none, he dressed and made his way down to the training room, again mulling over the whole situation with his three parents. As he entered the room, he pushed that from his mind. He needed all his focus on his pupils today.

The fourth form consisted mostly of rambunctious nine year olds, with the occasional exceptions. There were a few younger ones that had displayed such great promise that they were skipped up. For the most part, they respected and obeyed him, but there is a wildness in all children that kept him on his toes.

He never had to deal with many "bad eggs" as it were. They were usually weeded out early on in the process, and removed. But there were quite a few happy, mischievous little ones, particularly Abhay, LeAnne, Temujin, and Chinue, who usually banded together to wreak havoc.

"Alright, guys, we're gonna see how many of you practised what you learned last week! Pair up, and we'll have mock spars. I will take one pair at a time into the shield, and the rest of you will amuse yourselves out here." He cast a stern eye on the children before him. "Remember, I can still hear you inside!" The students shuffled and looked at him oh-so-innocently. Right.

* * *

The Order was rather upset to hear that they hadn't been given a choice, but they got over it relatively quickly, with Cathy rigidly defending Harry to the death. Then came the questions.

"How did she know about Remus?" Sirius fired off.

"Vampires and Werewolves have been mortal enemies for eons, they just know when they see one. She was surprisingly polite to you, as Tamal has a particularly deep loathing for Lycanthropes."

"Why?"

"It was a huge scandal in both societies. The Bolivar family used to be right-hand to the Queen, until about two years ago, Tamal's older sister, Estralita, fell in love with a werewolf. She and her lover, Sergei Ivanovich, ran off together, and the Bolivars fell far and fast. They hit the bottom when it was discovered that Estralita and Sergei had somehow, defying all explanation, given rise to a child." There was general shock around the whole room. "The child is considered an abomination by both sides, and he and his parents are hunted. Here is where Harry becomes intertwined with the Bolivar family. Harry, too, sought the cross-breed, but not for nearly as sinister reasons. He became close with the Bolivars at first to gain information, to try and glean the whereabouts of Estralita and her family. He found them, and hid them safely, and never told the Bolivars."

"Harry's interest in little Miroslav is primarily for research purposes. There has never before in recorded history been an incident like. Especially because Sergei is Kostya breed. Kostya werewolves are one of the few breeds that cannot perpetuate their breed through biting others; they pass their condition on genetically. As such, it will be interesting to learn what happens with this child, which parent he will take after more, whether there are any negative results. The vampires and werewolves do not see it this way. They want the entire family exterminated."

"The Bolivar family owes their regained status to Tamal, who has clawed their way back to the top, using her violent hatred of her sister to clear paths. Leadership of the Colony is not passed through family lines, and it is suspected that when the current Queen either steps down or is killed, Tamal will succeed her."

"And why does she hate you?" Bill asked.

"For much the same reason that she hates werewolves."

"You're not a werewolf, though." Remus said.

"No, but by vampire standards, we both possess 'tainted blood.' It's somewhat like really 'pureblooded' families who hate anybody who isn't quite as 'pure.' Remus is considered tainted because technically, lycanthropy is an infection. A virus. I also have an illness, though nothing quite so... dramatic."

More questions burst forth, and Cathy closed her eyes against the storm.

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Thank you for reading, please review!!!


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